Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 8
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Request to See Māyā and the Vision of the Cosmic Deluge
तमेव चिन्तयन्नर्थमृषि: स्वाश्रम एव स: । वसन्नग्न्यर्कसोमाम्बुभूवायुवियदात्मसु ॥ ८ ॥ ध्यायन् सर्वत्र च हरिं भावद्रव्यैरपूजयत् । क्वचित् पूजां विसस्मार प्रेमप्रसरसम्प्लुत: ॥ ९ ॥
tam eva cintayann artham ṛṣiḥ svāśrama eva saḥ vasann agny-arka-somāmbu- bhū-vāyu-viyad-ātmasu
Ever thinking of his desire to behold the Lord’s illusory energy, the sage remained in his own āśrama. He constantly meditated on Hari everywhere—within fire, the sun, the moon, water, earth, air, lightning, the sky, and his own heart—and worshiped Him with paraphernalia conceived in the mind; yet at times, flooded by waves of love for the Lord, he forgot his regular worship.
It is apparent from these verses that Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore he wanted to see the illusory energy of the Lord not to fulfill some material ambition but to learn how His potency is working.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the sage contemplated Hari as present in fire, sun, moon, water, earth, air, ether, and the self—training the mind to see the Lord everywhere (antaryāmi-darśana).
Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrates the sage’s absorbed remembrance to King Parīkṣit, illustrating unwavering God-consciousness.
Practice daily remembrance by consciously linking ordinary experiences—sunlight, water, breath, space, and inner awareness—to the presence of Hari, turning routine perception into devotion.